Peabody pols reveal New Year’s resolutions

PEABODY – Out with the old and in with the new, the New Year that is. Whether 2007 was one of your best, or your worst, 2008 is a chance to start fresh and make some changes, all with the help of the time-honored New Year’s Resolution.It’s been said that the Babylonians were the first to begin the tradition nearly 4,000 years ago, only their idea of a resolution involved returning something they borrowed over the past year. Things have changed since then, as most resolutions today center around some form of self-improvement.According to a poll on About.com, some of this year’s Top 10 Resolutions include to learn something new, quit drinking, and get out of debt. Others that topped the list were to quit smoking, schedule in regular exercise, and shed a few pounds.The fun thing about New Year’s Resolutions is that they can really be whatever you want. Here’s a look at what some of Peabody’s public figures have in mind for 2008.Mayor Michael Bonfanti hadn’t given it much thought.”Perfect people do not have resolutions,” he quipped. “I’d probably take some more time for myself and my family.” As for his political career, he said his resolution would be “to certainly work harder to accomplish more for the city.”City Clerk Tim Spanos said that improving his golf game is a must. “I’ve been losing too many golf balls,” he said. “As for city clerk, I need to clean out the vault. A few too many things have piled up in there, so we need to clean that up a bit.”Councilor at Large Jim Liacos would like to stay healthy and work harder to get rid of all school fees, including those for athletics, busing and parking. “I’ve been an advocate for disposing those for a long time,” he said.Fire Chief Steven Pasdon hopes to continue serving citizens of Peabody as best he can and keep the fire department moving forward in the New Year.